Jodie Comer has been cast as the lead in HBO’s upcoming limited series “The Chain,” a thriller built from Adrian McKinty’s bestselling novel and helmed by Damon Lindelof, with Comer set to play Rachel, a suburban mother facing the nightmare of her daughter’s k
When a project is signed and expanded before it even reaches screens, the details start to feel personal. HBO is moving forward with “The Chain,” a limited series with Jodie Comer tapped to lead as Rachel, a suburban mother who is forced to weigh the unthinkable after her daughter is kidnapped.
The show is based on the bestselling book “The Chain” by Adrian McKinty.. Damon Lindelof is writer. executive producer. and showrunner. and the series will expand the novel’s mythology as it translates the story into a new format.. Lindelof and Carly Wray wrote the pilot script from a story by Lindelof, Wray, and Breannah Gibson.
Production is handled by Media Res, where Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer serve as executive producers, with HBO acting as co-studio. Shane Salerno, Breannah Gibson, and Joseph Iberti are also executive producers, while McKinty is listed as a co-executive producer.
The series landed a formal series order at HBO in January, and Lindelof is operating under an overall deal with the network.
Comer. an Emmy and BAFTA Award winner. is widely associated with her role as sociopathic assassin Villanelle on BBC America’s “Killing Eve. ” which brought her an Emmy and a BAFTA TV Award.. She later won a second BAFTA TV Award for the 2021 Channel 4 film “Help.” Her recent film work includes Danny Boyle’s “28 Years Later. ” and she is next set to appear in “The Death of Robin Hood. ” “The Last Disturbance of Madeline Hynde. ” and “Stuffed.” Comer is represented by Independent Talent Group and WME.
The first look at “The Chain” is being built around one central pressure point: Rachel’s daughter is kidnapped. and the series is designed to push what the story’s mythology allows her to consider.. That storyline comes directly from McKinty’s bestselling book. while Lindelof’s involvement signals an intent to widen its myth-world. starting with a pilot script written by Lindelof and Carly Wray from a story co-created with Breannah Gibson.
For now, HBO has the project in motion with a series order already in place and a lead performer set in Comer. With Lindelof steering the limited series and Comer stepping in as Rachel, the production is heading toward a thriller built on a suburban family’s breaking point.
Jodie Comer The Chain HBO Damon Lindelof Media Res limited series Adrian McKinty Rachel thriller Killing Eve Villanelle